Canada’s Denis Shapovalov exited the Australian Open after a straight-sets loss to Marin Cilic in Melbourne. The Croatian defeated the No. 21 seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., with scores of 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, eliminating the last Canadian male player in the singles draw.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic achieved his 399th Grand Slam match win by defeating Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, is now one victory away from becoming the first player to reach 400 Grand Slam wins. The Serbian player is eyeing his 25th Grand Slam title to surpass Ken Rosewall’s record as the oldest man in the Open era to win a major singles championship.
In another remarkable performance, 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka advanced to the third round after a marathon match against Arthur Gea. The Swiss player, who is set to retire at the end of the year, made history as the first man over 40 to reach this stage of a major tournament since Rosewall in 1978. Wawrinka will face No. 9 Taylor Fritz in the next round.
On the women’s side, Naomi Osaka faced a tense encounter with Sorana Cirstea, prevailing with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory. The match ended with a strained interaction between the players, highlighting the contrast from Osaka’s viral entrance in the previous round.
The Australian Open continued to draw massive crowds, setting a new tournament attendance record with over 103,720 spectators across day and night sessions. The total attendance for the main draw has now surpassed 508,430 amid discussions about crowd management.
Before the night session began, spectators paid tribute to the victims of the recent Bondi Beach terror attack with a moment of silence. The event was observed as a national day of mourning in Australia, emphasizing the message that “Light Will Win.”
